First post!

This is Jon. He is a computer programmer, philosophy instructor, and by all accounts, a very nice man. 

This is Chrissy. She is a full-time student, and author of this blog. Jon is much nicer than she is.

Chrissy and Jon are married. This is where they currently live, in Hamtramck, Michigan. They rent a house there.

Hamtramck is a small city surrounded on all sides by Detroit. It has a lot of culture, bars, restaurants, festivals, and shops.

Unfortunately, it also has a lot of arson, theft, vandalism, and blight. So far, Jon and Chrissy have had their car broken into, and their garbage cans and back gate stolen. The house next door to theirs is abandoned and creepy. 

This is Allen Park, a small city about 30 minutes south of Hamtramck. It is closer to Jon's work and Chrissy's school. It is closer to many of their family and friends' houses. It is closer to their doctor, dentist, veterinarian, gym, and everywhere else they ever go. Jon and Chrissy have decided to move here.

Allen Park isn't nearly as cool as Hamtramck. But Jon and Chrissy don't mind. You see, they aren't very cool either. 

This is the house that Jon and Chrissy will be moving into. The seller has accepted their offer and, pending inspection, they will be moving in some time in January. It is in a subdivision called Princeton Estates. Jon and Chrissy are extremely excited to own a home of their very own, in a neighborhood that they love. 

Hey everyone! I've decided to write this blog as a chronicle of our first home-buying experience. Here I will post updates about the buying process, the moving process,  and eventually, about the renovations that we're doing. I'll try to keep it relevant, entertaining, and informative. 

Hopefully, our experience can be helpful to other first-time home-buyers, or at the very least, allow our friends and family to feel  as though they know a little bit about what's going on in our lives. 

The house we're buying is a 1300 sq foot ranch, with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. Everything in it is updated, but we still plan on doing some renovations so that it is more suitable to our tastes and lifestyle. The projects we intend to take on include:

• Painting the entire house--all the walls are currently white!
• Pulling up most of the (brand new) carpet, and laying resilient plank flooring.
• Converting the family room into a dining room, and the (currently eat-in) kitchen into a large kitchen with a pantry and an island.
• Weeding and landscaping.
• Finishing the basement (pending inspection--if it's likely to flood often, we might skip this one).
• Designing and decorating every room to fit our needs and personalities. After renting for years, we're both more than ready to have a place that really feels like a reflection of who we are.

This Saturday, we are having the home inspected. I'm a little nervous, because the seller stated that there was a fire in the kitchen last year, and even though it appears as though everything has been replaced, repaired, and updated, I know that sometimes fires can damage the upper beams of the house...and that's a serious foundation issue. It's scary to know that the possibility exists, however unlikely, that we will not be moving into this house. The odds of us finding another place this perfect for us anytime soon (in terms of price, location, and amenities) isn't very likely, and the thought of staying in our current rental house in Hamtramck any longer than we have to is...depressing, to say the least.

I'm a worrier, but I'm trying to stay optimistic! Really! It's just scary to get so excited about something when there's even a slight chance that it won't work out. I'll update this blog with the findings of the inspection, so check back this weekend if you're interested!